"Where do I get my energy? Well, I'm just so happy to be alive. I feel like I'm the most blessed man in the city." Photo by Dan Toulgoet

Mayor Sam Sullivan served as a Vancouver City Councillor from December 1993 to 2005 and was elected Mayor of the City of Vancouver in November 2005. In 2004, he was awarded Canada's highest honour, being invested as a member of the Order of Canada for his community work on behalf of people with significant disabilities.Mayor Sullivan was a member of the steering committee that built Vancouver's Central Library and as the Vice President of the Metropolitan Board of Health, he helped introduce Canada's first 100 per cent smoke-free public places initiative to Vancouver. He also initiated the Blueways Program to rethink Vancouver's connection to our waterways and raise the profile of our maritime communities. He continues to push for intensified urban land use and the protection of industrial lands and was the most ardent Council supporter of the four-pillar approach to drug addiction issues.Mayor Sullivan broke his neck while skiing at age 19 and is quadriplegic. Since then he has obtained a Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University and founded several non-profit organizations that have benefited thousands of people with significant disabilities across North America, including the Tetra Society which recruits technically-skilled volunteers to create assistive devices for people with disabilities (30 chapters throughout North America), and the Disabled Sailing Association which provides opportunities for people with disabilities to sail (20 chapters in North America). Mayor Sullivan was integral to the creation of the Martin 16 sailboat, which allows people with significant disabilities the opportunity to sail unassisted. Currently there are about 100 Martins in use throughout North America. He also co-invented the TrailRider, a one-wheeled vehicle that enables people with disabilities to travel and participate in hiking/camping trips and is in use throughout North America.Mayor Sullivan has been featured in Readers Digest, Maclean's Magazine and many other media for his community work. He has won several awards including the Terry Fox Award for national excellence and the Peter F. Drucker Award for Innovation. He has basic knowledge in speaking Cantonese and reading Chinese.